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Trump announces short-term deal to reopen government

President Donald Trump and congressional
leaders reached a tentative agreement to temporarily reopen the
government, the president announced Friday from the White House Rose
Garden.
"I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end
the shutdown and reopen the federal government," Trump said.

The deal would lift the federal shutdown for three weeks, but does not
include the $5.7 billion Trump requested to build a wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border. Federal workers who have been on furlough or working
without pay would receive back pay "very quickly or as soon as
possible," the president said.

The president said he will ask Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to put a proposal on the floor "immediately" for a vote.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the continuing
resolution to fund the government will pass both chambers in Congress
Friday afternoon and be signed by Trump later in the day.

"It's sad, though, that it's taken this long to come to this conclusion," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added.

Once the government is reopened, a bipartisan conference committee in
Congress will then review Department of Homeland Security requests for
border security. Trump called for congressional leaders to "put country
before party."

"Many disagree, but I really feel that working with Democrats and
Republicans, we can make a truly great and secure deal happen for
everyone," he said.

Schumer said that though Democrats don't agree with Republicans on some
specifics of border security, they do see eye-to-eye on some issues --
increased drug inspection technology and humanitarian aid at the border.

"That bodes well for finding an eventual agreement," he said.

Trump hinted he could turn to declaring a national emergency if doesn't get the border wall funding in new negotiations.

"If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either
shut down on Feb. 15 -- again -- or I will use the powers afforded to me
under the laws and Constitution of the United States to address this
emergency," he said.

The government shutdown, in its 35th day, began in December after Trump
refused to sign a stopgap funding bill -- passed by both the House and
Senate -- because it didn't include the wall money.

The newly Democrat-controlled House has refused to add the funding into
its legislation, while the Republican-controlled Senate has ceded to
Trump's demands.

The shutdown has left 800,000 federal employees on furlough or working
without pay. Many missed their second paycheck Friday, and some have
applied for unemployment. It is the longest government shutdown in U.S.
history.

A little more than half of those employees are considered essential and
are working without pay -- including airport screeners and controllers.

The Transportation Security Administration has required employees to
work without pay for weeks, but a higher number of workers have been
calling in sick since the shutdown began.

On Friday, a lack of air traffic controllers crippled flights throughout
the Northeast, and New York City's LaGuardia Airport stopped all
flights arriving at the airport. Air traffic also was delayed in
Philadelphia and Newark, N.J.

On Thursday, the Senate failed to pass either of two bills to end the
shutdown. One, proposed by Trump and backed by McConnell, would've
funded the government through the end of the fiscal year in September
and included money for the border wall.

The Democrat-backed bill funded the government through Feb. 8 and included no border wall funding.